Living a New Life in Christ

Living a New Iife in Christ

Is it ever too late to make a change while one still has the opportunity? John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. Priscilla Soh shares the story of how God sustained her grandmother so He could bring her to a new life in Christ, just three weeks before she went home to be with Him.

Many of us who have tasted the goodness of our Lord and received His priceless gift of salvation none the less remain hesitant about sharing the Gospel with others. I was one of them. For many years after I knew Jesus, I was afraid to speak about Him to those I love. On one hand, my fears and concerns seemed logical enough. Yet, when I tested them by committing them to prayer, it became all too clear that none of them should stand in the way of testifying for Jesus. By sharing my story of how my 90-year-old grandmotherreceived Jesus just three weeks before she passed away, I hope to encourage you to stand in the gap to be a bold and willing witness for Jesus so that those who yet do not know Him can stand a chance for a new life that is only possible through Him who is “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

My grandmother (“Ah Ma”) brought me up. My parents had split up when I was young and Ah Ma essentially brought me up. She accepted Jesus as her Lord and Saviour on 8 December 2002 but this story of her new life begins many years before that.

Many people who knew my Ah Ma may be surprised, perhaps they may even be shocked, to know that she became a Christian. In all her 90 years, Ah Ma had been a staunch Buddhist who also took part in ancestral worship. Even up to her early 80s, she went vegetarian on the 1st and 15th day of every lunar month. She had prayer beads over which she chanted Buddhist prayers.

When I became a Christian in November 1997, I did not dare let her know. I had seen her fury when she found out that my cousin had converted to Christianity. Eventually, I still told her. I did not want to be ashamed to confess my acceptance of Christ. Ah Ma did not get angry. Instead, she seemed disappointed and resigned. It took a while before I plucked up the courage to share with her the Gospel. Initially, she was very resistant and rebuffed every attempt to share the message of salvation in Christ with her. She held fast to the belief that so long as she had a good heart and did not do evil deeds, it didn’t matter which religion she embraced – one of the most common and devastating lies by the evil one.

Whenever I went to visit her, I would continue to share the Gospel with her. With Ah Ma, one can’t be too insistent. I was once a non-believer and, at that time, I had deeply resented it when Christians literally tried to force the Gospel on to me or told me I would go to hell for not believing. The best way to witness is to be guided by the Holy Spirit. One thing I continually emphasised to her was that Christianity is not a religion. It is a relationship with God. She can talk (pray) to God like He is her best friend.

As time went on, Ah Ma grew increasingly receptive to the point that when we offered to pray for her, she would agree. However, when we talked about salvation, she would say, “Tell Jesus that I will believe in Him if He heals me.” Whenever she said that, I did not know whether to laugh or cry. I told her that we can pray over her day and night but she needs to believe that Jesus can not only heal her, He can save her. We cannot bargain with God. The more I shared the Gospel with her, the less she had a “fish market” mentality about Jesus. Things developed to a point whereby she would either ask me to pray for her and give me her prayer requests or I would ask her if she wanted prayers and she would say “yes”. We would then pray a simple prayer in Hokkien and at the end of it, she would say “Amen”.

Despite all this, Ah Ma was still hesitant about taking that step to receive Jesus. She did not tell me the reason but I knew that she was afraid that something bad would happen to her if she did that since she had dedicated herself to Kuan Yin when she was younger. That, of course, was a deception by the evil one and we could only pray to break the bondage.

On 8 December 2002, when we were watching TV downstairs at my father’s home, I felt a prompting by the Holy Spirit to go to Ah Ma and share the Gospel with her. She was happy to see me and we chatted. But she soon felt depressed and asked me, “I want to die. Why am I not dead yet?” I answered, “Have you thought that you are not dead yet because God loves you too much to let you die without being saved?” She was quiet for a moment when she heard this. I knew she was reflecting on my question. I shared the Gospel with her again. She finally told me that she was afraid to accept Jesus as there might be punishment from the gods. I told her that she does not have to be afraid since Jesus is greater than any god.

Ah Ma was also worried that Jesus may not bother with her as she did not know how to pray. I explained to her that He knows our heart even before we speak with our mouths. She also told me that she was a bit confused about the concept of salvation. I told her to imagine that Jesus is standing behind the door. He has been waiting for her to open that door for 90 years. He loves her more than anyone of us and wants to save her. She only needed to slip the key in the keyhole and open the door.

After I told her this, she kept quiet. I asked her if she would like to open that door in her life for Jesus. She thought about it and said, “Yes, I would like to try.” I was rather shocked to hear her response even though it was one which I had been praying for for years. I reminded her that no one is forcing her to accept Jesus. The act of acceptance must come from her own willing heart. She looked at me and said, “Yes, I would like to.” We prayed the sinner’s prayer together in Hokkien. That was one of the most significant moments of my relationship with Ah Ma because Jesus came into it too. The countenance of peace on her face was of someone who had made peace and accepted the love of her Father.

Soon after, I called my husband to the room and the first thing he said was, “Ah Ma suddenly looks so peaceful.” I told him that Ah Ma had accepted Christ. We said a prayer of thanksgiving to God for His goodness and mercy. When I went downstairs, I shared with my father and stepmother. They were watching TV and I told them, “Ah Ma has accepted Jesus Christ.” I think they were just as shocked as I was initially. I thank God that they were supportive and encouraging.

Ah Ma passed away peacefully on Christmas Eve. Psalm 30 is called the “Blessedness of answered prayer” and that is so apt where Ah Ma is concerned. I was particularly struck by the poignancy of Psalm 30:3 which says: “O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.”

Indeed, this verse captures exactly what our merciful God has done for Ah Ma. He kept her alive through several cancers and major operations and sustained her till she was saved. Though she rejected Him for many years, He waited patiently for her and never stopped loving her. God was so gracious and gave me the assurance of Ah Ma’s salvation through a vision which came at almost the exact time she passed on. I saw her young and resplendent in a white cheongsam, with so much joy on her face. Indeed, as Psalms 35:9 praises, “And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord; it shall rejoice in His salvation.”